• The Four Hundred
  • Subscribe
  • Media Kit
  • Contributors
  • About Us
  • Contact
Menu
  • The Four Hundred
  • Subscribe
  • Media Kit
  • Contributors
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Syncsort Debuts Unified IBM i Security Suite

    April 10, 2019 Alex Woodie

    Syncsort rolled out a suite of software this week that unifies several of the IBM i security products it has acquired over past two years. Dubbed Assure Security, the suite is designed to help IBM i shops lock down servers and protect them from threats while getting a handle on emerging data regulations, like the looming California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).

    The acquisition of Vision Solutions by Syncsort back in June 2017 closely coincided with the two companies’ joint pivot into data security. Vision, of course, was best known as a provider of IBM i high availability solutions when it announced its acquisition of Enforcive (formerly BSafe Global Security). A day later, Syncsort announced its intent to buy Vision Solutions.

    Months later, Syncsort followed up with its acquisition of Cilasoft, which added a Db2 database security and monitoring solution to the well-rounded suite of IBM i security tools that it obtained with Enforcive. Finally, in May of 2018, Syncsort nabbed the IBM i encryption software from Townsend Security, leaving that company effectively out of the IBM i market.

    Executives with Syncsort said they planned to deliver unified product suites for both its security and HA lines, including a complete rationalization of underlying code-bases (it also acquired Trader’s, giving it four disparate IBM i HA products: MIMIX, iTera, Quick-EDD, and the legacy ODS/OMS line).

    Syncsort officials pledged last year that the unification would begin with a standard GUI that works across HA and security lines. While we have yet to see a rationalization of the HA products, the company is clearly moving ahead with the unification of the security tools around the Assure brand.

    Syncsort Assure consists of four modules at the moment, including Compliance Monitoring, Access Control, Data Privacy, and Security Risk Assessment. The modules can be purchased and used as a single entity, or purchased and used separately, Syncsort says.

    • Assure Compliance Monitoring: This product, which is based on the QJRN/400 product originally developed by Cilasoft, watches key areas of the IBM i operating system and database for signs of activity. If it detects something is amiss, it will send a real-time alert to an administrator, or alternatively send it to a third-party SIEM solution. In addition to monitoring the Db2 for i database, it can block areas of the database from view.
    • Assure Access Control: This product, which is based on software obtained from Cilasoft, is designed to prevent unauthorized access to the IBM i server, including via network, communication ports, database protocols, and the 5250 interface. It also provides multi-factor authentication (MFA) and integrates with the SecureID technology from RSA. This product also can be used to temporarily provide users with elevated authorities for accomplishing certain tasks.
    • Assure Data Privacy: This product, which is based on Townsend’s Alliance and FTP software, provides a full range of encryption capabilities for IBM i data, including for data at rest in the database, and data in motion over network protocols. The software also provides data tokenization and file masking, as well as secure file transfer capabilities.
    • Assure Security Risk Assessment: This product, which is based on technology originally developed by Enforcive, provides an automated security assessment for IBM i servers. The software checks 12 categories of security values, and recommends ways that users can improve security.

    While the Security Risk Assessment offering contains software from Enforcive, the bulk of the Assure is based on technology that originated from the Cilasoft and Townsend deals. The company continues to sell the comprehensive Enforcive security software lineup as an independent solution.

    Syncsort used the existing Cilasoft and Alliance products as jumping off points, and extensively repackaged the technology and combined it with greenfield software development. For example, the new enterprise monitor dashboard communicates essential information regarding the Assure lineup, and it also communicates the status of the MIMIX and Quick-EDD HA products, too.

    There is also failover scripting to ensure the Assure product line continues to monitor and protect IBM i data in the event of an HA failover (provided, of course, that those HA products are managing the failover process).

    The Assure Security suite is designed to bolster the security postures of IBM i shops, which is a big concern at the moment. A recent Syncsort survey found that 41 percent of IBM i shops say they have been the victim of a cyberattack, with another 20 percent saying they weren’t sure if they had been attacked.

    “Our new Assure Security product leverages our wealth of IBM i security technology and expertise to help organizations address their highest-priority challenges,” states Syncsort Chief Product Officer David Hodgson in a press release. “This includes protecting against vulnerabilities introduced by new, open-source methods of connecting to IBM i systems, adopting new cloud services and complying with expanded government regulations.”

    While it was designed to protect residents of the European Union, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) also applies to American companies. Complying with GDPR requires companies to ensure they are not mishandling their clients’ data, including gaining their permission to collect data, and giving users the right to ask their data to be deleted.

    The CCPA that goes into effect on January 1, 2020, is similar in some ways to GDPR. But there are key differences that companies doing business with California residents will need to be aware of.

    RELATED STORIES

    Syncsort Snags EView for Log Data Hooks

    Syncsort Unveils MFA, Bolsters IBM i Security Suites

    Syncsort Talks Rebranding, IBM i Product Strategy

    Syncsort Acquires Townsend’s IBM i Encryption Software

    Syncsort Finds Security Key To Business Resilience

    Syncsort Bolsters IBM i Security Play With Cilasoft Buy

    Syncsort CEO Discusses Vision Deal, Product Plans

    Vision Buys Enforcive, Then Gets Sold And Merged With Syncsort

    Share this:

    • Reddit
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Email

    Tags: Tags: California Consumer Privacy Act, CCPA, DB2, European Union, GDPR, General Data Protection Regulation, IBM i

    Sponsored by
    ARCAD Software

    [Webinar] Modern IBM i: It’s more than DevOps – It’s modernizing RPG, Database, Fields and SYNON
    September 21

    IBM i modernization can be a daunting and complicated task.  It involves many aspects from modern processes with DevOps to modernizing the backend – RPG fixed- to free-format, moving from DDS to DDL, field expansion, and if you’re SYNON, modernizing code that was created in the 70s with a code generator.  They are all important topics for protecting your IBM i investment and extending it into the future.

    Join us to learn:

    • Why Modernize?
    • Where to start and determine the key areas of focus.
    • How ARCAD can help in the journey.
    • ARCAD Software has the tools and services to get you started wherever you are starting from!

    Register Now!

    Share this:

    • Reddit
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Email

    GoAnywhere Tops in MFT, Research Group Says IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 21, Number 15

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

TFH Volume: 29 Issue: 24

This Issue Sponsored By

  • New Generation Software
  • ARCAD Software
  • COMMON
  • CNX
  • Manta Technologies

Table of Contents

  • Syncsort Debuts Unified IBM i Security Suite
  • GoAnywhere Tops in MFT, Research Group Says
  • Raz-Lee Reels In The File Editors
  • Four Hundred Monitor, April 10
  • IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 21, Number 14

Content archive

  • The Four Hundred
  • Four Hundred Stuff
  • Four Hundred Guru

Recent Posts

  • ARCAD’s Deal with IBM for DevOps In Merlin Is Exclusive
  • In The IBM i Trenches With: Maxava
  • Is The Cloud On Your IBM i Horizon?
  • Four Hundred Monitor, September 20
  • IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 25, Number 38
  • The Subscription Pricing For The IBM i Stack So Far
  • Facing The Challenges Of Upgrading Old Systems With The Cloud
  • Guru: Generating XML Using SQL – The Easy Way
  • Rocket Buys Data Integration Provider B.O.S.
  • IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 25, Number 37

Subscribe

To get news from IT Jungle sent to your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter.

Pages

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Contributors
  • Four Hundred Monitor
  • IBM i PTF Guide
  • Media Kit
  • Subscribe

Search

Copyright © 2023 IT Jungle